49. CC Sabathia: New York Yankees

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Throughout his career with the New York Yankees, CC Sabathia has been the unquestioned ace of the staff. That remains unchanged following his 2012 season.

Sabathia reached the 200-inning mark for the sixth straight season despite making only 28 starts. A 15-6 record, a 3.38 ERA and just under one strikeout per inning again established Sabathia as the go-to guy in the Bronx.

47. Ryan Zimmerman: Washington Nationals

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The Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman has long been considered one of the top third basemen in the National League.

This year, he reinforced that belief.

Providing stellar play in the field and at the plate, Zimmerman hit .282 with 25 HR and 95 RBI, helping to lead his Nationals to their first-ever NL East Division title and bringing postseason baseball to the nation's capital for the first time in 79 years.

46. Kris Medlen: Atlanta Braves

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With the second half put together by Atlanta Braves starter Kris Medlen, he has emerged as one of the bright young pitchers in the National League.

The Braves brought Medlen along slowly this year after he underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2010. The Braves monitored Medlen's progress by working him out of the bullpen before inserting him into the starting rotation on July 31.

The results were staggering—Medlen was 9-0 with a 0.97 ERA in 12 starts, and he and the Braves set an all-time MLB record by registering wins in his last 23 starts dating back to 2010.

Medlen will start for the Braves in Friday's Wild Card Game with the St. Louis Cardinals, and he will be counted on in the playoffs if he can continue his torrid pace on Friday.

37. Curtis Granderson: New York Yankees

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New York Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson struggled at the plate at times this season, registering just a .232 batting average and .319 OBP.

Yet he still managed to lead a potent Yankee offense with 43 HR and 106 RBI. Granderson fell just short of tying Miguel Cabrera for the league lead in home runs, hitting two more on Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox.

36. Austin Jackson: Detroit Tigers

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The Detroit Tigers offense featured a pretty decent pair of sluggers in Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabera. However, the contributions of center fielder Austin Jackson at the top of the order can't be understated.

Jackson was terrific all season long, hitting an even .300 with 16 HR, 66 RBI, a league-leading 10 triples and an .856 OPS.

At 25 years of age, Jackson is becoming a solid all-around leadoff hitter, and the Tigers will be counting on his table-setting skills during the upcoming postseason.

33. Craig Kimbrel: Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel won the National League Rookie of the Year Award by a unanimous decision last season, putting a cap on a tremendous freshman year.

He may have just outdone himself in his sophomore year, however.

If Kimbrel was considered close to unhittable last year, he was even more so this year. He notched 42 saves, a 1.01 ERA and a 0.654 WHIP and struck out an incredible 50.2 percent of the batters he faced.

That shattered the record held by former Los Angeles Dodgers closer Eric Gagne (44.8 percent, 2003).

Oh, and batters only hit .126 against him, lending even more credence to his absolute dominance.

32. Albert Pujols: Los Angeles Angels

First baseman Albert Pujols will probably end up taking his share of flak for not delivering the Los Angeles Angels to the postseason in his first year with the team.

Considering his $240 million contract, it's slightly understandable.

However, Pujols did put together a pretty solid season after a very rough start. The three-time MVP was hitting just .197 with one homer and 12 RBI on May 14. Pujols rebounded to hit .285 with 30 HR and 105 RBI.

He also collected 50 doubles, becoming only the third player in MLB history with three 50-double seasons and the first player ever to reach 500 doubles within his first 12 seasons.

That won't soothe the disappointment of Angels fans, but it does make for some pretty heady stats.

31. Cole Hamels: Philadelphia Phillies

It may have been a lost season for the Philadelphia Phillies, but for starting pitcher Cole Hamels, it was both rewarding and successful.

Hamels signed a six-year, $144 million contract in late July, the second-richest contract ever signed by a pitcher.

Hamels was pretty good on the field as well, posting a 17-6 record and 3.05 ERA, striking out 216 batters in 215.1 innings. His 24.9 strikeout percentage was fourth in the league behind Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez.

29. Clayton Kershaw: Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw's 14-9 record doesn't accurately reflect the dominance he displayed once again in 2012.

Kershaw posted league bests in ERA (2.53), WHIP (1.023) and hits per nine innings (6.7) and was second in BAA (.204).

Kershaw didn't even allow an aching hip to slow him down, shutting down the San Francisco Giants on the final day of the regular season, allowing only one run on three hits with eight strikeouts in eight innings.

26. David Wright: New York Mets

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New York Mets third baseman David Wright suffered a stress fracture in his back last season that limited him to just 102 games. He also endured season-long questions about the Mets' financial problems and whether he would be signed long-term.

Wright dealt with those questions this year as well, but with a healthy back, he excelled on the field.

He hit .306 on the season with 21 HR, 93 RBI, an .883 OPS and stellar defense at third base that could earn him a third Gold Glove Award.

23. Joey Votto: Cincinnati Reds

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Ordinarily, a guy who misses two months of the season due to injury might not necessarily warrant a spot on this list. But in the case of Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto, one has to make an exception.

Votto underwent arthroscopic surgery in mid-July to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, putting him out of the lineup for over six weeks.

Votto still managed to lead the National League in walks (94) and led the majors in on-base percentage (.474), accumulating a 1.041 OPS along the way. Votto also hit 44 doubles despite missing 51 games.

22. Prince Fielder: Detroit Tigers

Much of the focus in Detroit these days is on Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera and his Triple Crown achievement—and deservedly so.

However, the first season in Detroit for first baseman Prince Fielder wasn't too shabby either.

Fielder hit .313—a career high—with 30 HR and 108 RBI. It was the fifth time in six seasons that Fielder has reached the 30 HR/100 RBI plateau. His 182 hits was a career high as well and the third season in the past four that Fielder has played every single game.

21. Felix Hernandez: Seattle Mariners

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The Seattle Mariners starting pitcher may not end up winning the American League Cy Young Award, but he certainly made a case for it throughout much of the season.

Felix Hernandez finished the year with a 13-9 record, 3.06 ERA and 223 strikeouts in 232.0 innings. Hernandez faded to an 0-4 finish and 6.62 ERA in September and October, likely taking him out of the Cy Young conversation.

15. Chase Headley: San Diego Padres

The 2012 season will become known as the season of maturity for San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley.

Headley has been the subject of trade speculation for the better part of two seasons. The Padres may now be looking to lock him up long-term after the year he turned in.

Headley was a force at the plate this season, hitting .286 with 31 HR and 115 RBI. Both production numbers were easily career highs, and his RBI total led the National League.

Prospect Jedd Gyorko was reportedly the man to take over at third base if Headley were in fact traded. However, Gyorko may now be the man to take over at second base eventually. Headley may just be too good to go anywhere.

"I think exceeding everyone's expectations, his leadership, his ability to play hurt," Girardi said. "A guy 38 (years old) is not supposed to get 700 plate appearances. It is not supposed to happen, except for maybe a DH.

"And he played shortstop every day and he played hurt. It is truly remarkable. For me, it is one of the greatest seasons I have ever seen, considering all the factors."

Jeter's 216 hits led the majors, and he surpassed the 200-hit mark for the eighth time in his career, tying a franchise mark held by Lou Gehrig.

13. Josh Hamilton: Texas Rangers

In the manner that Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton started out this season, one would have thought that record books might have to be rewritten.

Hamilton was absolutely on fire for the first two months of the season, hitting .368 with 21 HR and 57 RBI by the end of May.

The summer months may have sizzled, but Hamilton's bat cooled. He would end the season with more than respectable numbers (.285, 43 HR, 128 RBI), but certainly a disappointment considering the hot start.

Still, the numbers still put him among the elite hitters in the majors.

12. Adam Jones: Baltimore Orioles

Often, teams can actually take on the characteristics of their on-field leader. In the case of the Baltimore Orioles, they transformed into a team that feeds off its leader—center fielder Adam Jones.

Jones continues to put his stamp on the Orioles, hitting .287 with 32 HR and 82 RBI and making highlight-reel defensive plays in center.

The Orioles have had a cavalcade of stars that left their mark on the franchise, such as Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken Jr. Jones' mark on the Orioles is not only being left; it's rubbing off on his teammates too.

9. Yadier Molina: St. Louis Cardinals

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Speaking of MVP candidates...

It's hard to overlook the performance of Yadier Molina this season for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was sensational, putting up career highs in hits (159), home runs (22), RBI (76), batting average (.315) and OPS (.874).

Molina is definitely a candidate to win his fifth straight Gold Glove Award and will be called upon to continue his outstanding play as the Cardinals try to defend their World Series championship.

7. R.A. Dickey: New York Mets

Well, I won't even get into the happenings of the current presidential campaign, but for knuckleball enthusiasts, New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey should be winning at least one campaign.

The one for the National League Cy Young Award.

Dickey's numbers are certainly worthy of the award for sure—a 20-6 record with a 2.73 ERA, a league-leading 230 strikeouts on top of a league-leading 233.2 innings and a 1.053 WHIP.

It's the last number that impresses me the most. Think about it—a knuckleball has absolutely no spin at all, meaning that its flight to the plate can be changed in the blink of an eye by air currents. Yet Dickey managed to walk only 54 batters all season long.

Being able to control a pitch that's in many ways uncontrollable is indeed striking.

2. Mike Trout: Los Angeles Angels

Twenty years from now, Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout will look back upon his rookie year and say to himself, "Wow! I did pretty good!"

Yes indeed.

Trout will no doubt be the unanimous winner of AL Rookie of the Year Award and will likely be in a fight with Miguel Cabrera for the MVP Award as well.

A .326 average, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 129 runs scored, 49 stolen bases, a .963 OPS and an OPS+ of 171. The numbers are stratospheric, and his WAR of 10.7 rivals that of some of the greatest single seasons in history.

With all of the bashing going on in the 1990s and despite several players coming close (most recently Albert Pujols, 2009), it's an achievement even more rare than a perfect game, more rare than hitting four home runs in a single game.

It's even more rare than an unassisted triple play.

For me, that trumps everything.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle.